WIAW: Attack of the Chocolate Monster

It's time again for another fantabulous installment ooooofffff....

What I Ate Wednesday!!

Yaaayyyy!!

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Breakfast, Take 1: Rice Cake

Before boot camp this morning, I smeared a caramel rice cake with some dark chocolate peanut butter.  Get the day started right with some chocolate!  You will see this trending as my day goes on.  What can I say?  I needs my chocolate.

Breakfast, Take 2: Shake

My protein shake was the bomb diggity, this morning.  It is a chocolate cherry shake and contains: 1 tbsp cocoa, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 cup of frozen cherries, 1 frozen banana and 1 cup of almond milk.  Yum, yum.  Coffee on the side, of course.

Morning Snack: Peach & Bar

What's this?  More chocolate?  It's just one of them days.  I had some peach slices and half of a Zone bar from the day before.

Lunch: Salad

I made a big ole salad for lunch that contained spring mix, leftover chicken, green beans, fat free feta cheese and beets.  I found this thing of beets in the produce department of Walmart and decided to try it.  Very delish.  I topped my salad with fat free Italian dressing.

Then I went on a 2 mile walk and then hopped in the car to get a treat.  The last bit of that sentence makes me sound like a dog.  Hm.
Iced coffee made with Splenda and a splash of soy milk.

Aaaaand, this happened.

More chocolate!!!  Raspberry truffle pop.  The pops are probably the lowest calorie treat they have at Starbucks...so, meh.  Not too shabby.

Afternoon Snack: Yogurt & Orange

Ok, I swear this is the last chocolate I ate!  I'm not sure if it counts, but whatever.  This was my last Chobani bite and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  So, most of my chocolate was pretty healthy-fied.  Great way to satisfy that craving (that was seemingly unsatisfy-able--I make up words).

Dinner: Meatball Sandwich

This was not my best dinner.  I didn't get home until late and in no way did I feel like cooking, so I peeked in the freezer.  There were some turkey meatballs in there, so in the microwave they went.  I had some turkey meatballs with reduced fat sharp cheddar on a 100 calorie wheat hot dog bun with some leftover butternut squash mac & cheese and some Brussels sprouts.

That about does it for today.  Hope everyone is having a super fantastic week!

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012: Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies

I may have mentioned before, but I participated in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap again this year.  Such fun!  So, I'm delaying What I Ate Wednesday until later today, so I can tell you all about this!

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The way it works is if you have a blog, you sign up with the swap and they send you 3 matches.  You kind of keep it on the downlow for a bit.  Then you send your 3 matches a dozen cookies each.  There are a ton of participants and it is all across the U.S.

You will also receive a dozen cookies from 3 other bloggers, as well.  That's the fun part!  You get to sample someone else's cookies and share them with family and friends.

Then, everyone posts their recipes and we all link up to like a gazillion other recipes.  It's fun to browse through there and see what everyone comes up with.

This year proceeds go to Cookies for Kids' Cancer and they sent me an awesome cookie spatula!  Yay :)

So, for my recipe this year, I had one combination on my mind: peanut butter and chocolate.  I figured  I should swirl them together for maximum enjoyment.

This recipe makes a TON of cookies...so you might want to scale it down if you are not feeding a small army.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies

makes 5-6 dozen (for real)

Chocolate Cookie Dough

12 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Beat melted butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Cool slightly and beat in egg and egg yolk. Beat in vanilla.

Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Slowly beat into the butter and sugar mixture until well blended. 

Roll out the dough on plastic wrap that has been sprayed with oil until it makes a giant rectangle the size of your baking sheet.  No actual measurements from this gal!

Make your peanut butter dough.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

5 cups all-purpose flour

Combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla.  Add flour, baking soda and salt. 

Plop about 2/3 of the dough on top of the rolled out chocolate dough and roll it over it until even and smooth.  You will have extra peanut butter cookie dough (you're welcome), so you can make those, too or freeze the dough.

Roll the plastic wrap up a bit and use it as a guide to carefully roll your two doughs into a giant log.  I had to actually cut down the middle and separate the cookie logs, because they were so large.  Refrigerate dough for about 30 minutes.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and slice your cookies into about 1/4" slices.

Lay on parchment paper and bake for 11-12 minutes.  Cool on a cookie rack.

Chocolate cookie dough recipe adapted from About.com

Peanut butter cookie dough recipe adapted from All Recipes

cookies all ready to go to my recipients ;)

I love participating in this online cookie swap and meeting other bloggers!  So fun :)

Thanks so much to Love & Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen for hosting!

Also, I gotta give a shout out to the awesome bloggers whose cookies I received:

Amber from Caleigh's Kitchen made some killer chocolate buckeye cookies.  Holy moly.

Mal from The Chic Geek sent me some scrumptious cinnamon roll palmiers :)

My third cookie shipper got delayed, because she had the flu.  That's no fun :(  I'll update this once I receive hers.

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My cookies from last year's swap: Crispy Coconut Almond Cookies

Lighter Flourless Chocolate Cake

Well, hey there, all!  Happy Friday to ya :)

Just popping in to give you a deliciously decadent while at the same time light and airy dessert to try this weekend.  Or whenever.  But you should try it.  

I wish I had taken a picture of a slice, but when I turned around to do so, the cake was annihilated.  That should tell you something ;)

Lighter Flourless Chocolate Cake

serves 12

4 ounces dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), in small pieces

¼ cup butter

¼ cup nonfat yogurt

3 eggs (or you could sub Eggbeaters)

1/3 cup white sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

For serving:

1/2 slivered almonds

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

fresh raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with a nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray again on top of the parchment paper. Place chocolate and butter in a bowl. Place over a pot of barely simmering water. Gently heat until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in yogurt and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and fluffy, about 4 minutes on high speed. Stir in salt and vanilla then gently fold in chocolate. Do not overmix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar and top with berries and almonds.

recipe adapted from Fitsugar

Have a lovely weekend!  See you Monday with a budget friendly pantry meal!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Maple Frosting & Candied Bacon

Please don't tell me you ate too much Halloween candy and need a break from sweets.

Look at these guys.  You don't want to hurt their feelings...

These chocolate cupcakes are yum on their own.  The perfect amount of richness...but if you want to put it over the top, you must throw together this cheater icing and candied bacon garnish.  You will be loved by all.  Except vegetarians...they might hate you.  But that means more cupcakes for you!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Maple Frosting & Candied Bacon

makes 18 cupcakes

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp espresso powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp canola oil

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all this stuff together, fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full & bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cheater Maple Bacon Frosting

tub of whipped buttercream frosting

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp bacon grease

Mix all of this together and chill for half an hour.  Pipe onto cupcakes.

Candied Bacon Garnish

bacon

brown sugar

Sprinkle brown sugar on bacon.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

My advice for these cupcakes is to pack them up and take them somewhere other than your kitchen.  I'm only trying to help you....but save at least one for yourself.  They are worth it.

Happy Friday!

Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

It is a challenge to think of a post to frame a cookie recipe when you are trying to sit still in the office with just 2 hours before vacation.  I should explain that it has been years since I have had a vaca.  It's kind of a big deal.

So, cookies....cookies are like a vacation from your day.

Yeah, let's see where this goes.

Traffic sucks, bosses are terrible.  It's just the nature of the beast.  The beast being daily life.

Cookie breaks (especially when accompanied by coffee) can give you a few precious moments to reflect on the good in life.

When you bite into a chewy, slightly spiced cookie littered with chocolate chunks how can everything not seem okay?

I'm not really leaving you much of a choice.

You need to make these cookies, if only for your own sanity.

Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Chunk Cookies

makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 to 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

2 1/4 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp vanilla extract

12 oz bag of chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line some cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat while gathering your other ingredients.  Wait for it to get bubbly with a slight hint of brown deliciousness on the bottom of the pot.  Whisk it around and then pour it over the brown sugar.  After that dissolves, whisk it (whisk it real good) and then throw in the eggs and vanilla and whisk some more.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine that madness.  Fold in the chocolate chunks and scoop onto parchment with a cookie scoop.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Happy vacation, everyone me :)

1 Minute Baileys Chocolate Cake

With St. Patty's Day right around the corner, I thought I'd make you a cake.

It is rich and dense with a noticeable taste of Irish cream, but still light and fluffy.

This cake only took about 5 minutes from start to finish.  And less than one minute to cook.

There are times when you need cake in a hurry.

Today seems like that kind of day.

1 Minute Baileys Chocolate Cake

Serves 1

1 tbsp + 1 tsp cocoa

3 tbsp flour

pinch salt

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 Splenda packets (or use more sugar if you like)

1 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable or coconut)

3 tablespoons Baileys liqueur

1 tbsp milk (I used almond milk)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all this stuff together and pour it in a greased microwave safe ramekin or mug.  Microwave for 40-50 seconds.  Allow cake to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the cake in the mug (or ramekin) and gently turn it upside down on a plate.  Top with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

Note: If you don't want to use the alcoholic Baileys, try subbing the Baileys coffee creamer instead.  Or just use almond milk (only 3 tbsp, though)~it makes an equally yummy cake ;)

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Family Fridays (on a Monday): Mississippi Mud Cake

No, I haven't lost my mind.  I know it is Monday.  The universe did not want me to post this on Friday for some reason.

I misplaced my camera cord and was super busy, so I figured I'd wait until Monday to post.

Not the end of the world, right?

Yes, I'm trying to convince myself right now.  I know you don't care.  You just want some yummy recipes :)

Here's one that comes from my Aunt Norma.

Aunt Norm (as I call her) is one of the best story tellers I know.  I don't mean that in a lying sort of way.  She actually recounts events in a fascinating way.

She has lots of stories to tell, because she loves to travel all over the world.  Her and my Uncle Bob are on a cross country RV trip as we speak.  Um, or as we type.  No, as I type.  Yeah.

So this is her Mississippi Mud Cake that she used to make my cousin Matt on his birthday every year.  My Mom has also made this recipe a time or two.

I don't think either one has desecrated it with heart cookie cutters, though.  That's my contribution.

Mississippi Mud Cake

makes a 9x13 cake

1 cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa

4 eggs

1 cup coconut

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 small jar of marshmallow creme

Combine all ingredients and beat with a mixer.  Bake at 350 degrees in a greased 9x13 dish for about 45 minutes.

When cake is still hot, top with marshmallow cream and cool for about an hour.

Frosting recipe

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup walnuts

6 tbsp milk

1 box confectioners sugar

Stir all of this up and top the cake.  Garnish with walnuts or sprinkles ;)

Cut it into hearts with a cookie cutter before icing if you want.

Thanks, Aunt Norm for the recipe!

Shortcut Skinny Cookies

Are you hungry for cookies but watching your girlish figure?  I know I am :)

Let's make some super quick and healthy cookies!

These come together in a flash & would be great to take to a Valentine's get together.

Ok, does anyone else hoard cake mixes?  Maybe it's just me.  I always have like 5 (sometimes opened) boxes on hand for individual serving desserts or half batches of stuff.  It seems like I always have a coupon for cake mix, plus they are like $1 without a coupon.  How can I not buy them?

Shortcut Skinny Cookies

(makes 1 dozen~double for 2 dozen)

8 oz or 1/2 of a box of cake mix (I used Pillsbury Sugar Free Devil's Food)

2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp butter

1 egg

2 scant tbsp of vanilla (or chocolate if you have it) protein powder

Mix all of this stuff in a bowl until combined.  Try to get those lumps of cake mix outta there!  Use your tablespoon to scoop balls of dough onto a Silpat (or parchment or cookie sheet-whatever) & bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  I also sprinkled some pink and red sanding sugar to try and make them look Valentine's-ish.  It kind of faded into the dark chocolate color.  It would look good if you use vanilla cake mix, though.

Yum yum!

These cookies are fluffy and cake-y.  But, just because they are light, doesn't mean you can eat them all!  I had to convince myself of that ;)

If your husband (or whoever) is anything like mine and does not like to try new things, cut these bad boys in half and pipe in some butter cream.  Tell him you made him some homemade Oreo Cakesters.  Use it as bribery to get him to take out the trash.  I won't judge.

Is anyone else going to miss Picnik (photo editor)? 

For the optional (and not "skinny") butter cream filling, follow this recipe (it rocks):

Butter Cream Filling

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp + 1 tsp flour

1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1/4 tsp vanilla

Cook flour and milk in a small saucepan, stirring constantly, until it becomes like a thick paste.  It will look gross.  Don't doubt the process.  Just go with it.  Let it cool to room temperature.  Whip the butter and sugar with a hand mixer or a whisk until fluffy, then add in the flour/milk mixture and vanilla.  Whip until awesome.  

Slice the cookies in half with a serrated knife, then pipe in the butter cream.  Use a piping bag if you are fancy.  I'm not, so I used a Ziploc with the tip cut off.  Yeah, that's how I roll.

Filling recipe adapted from All Recipes

If you are looking for some more healthy recipes, I created a tab at the top of the page specifically for healthy and yummy recipes :)

The Closest Imitation of a Brownie

I’ve made this recipe from Jillian Michael's Master your Metabolism Cookbook a few times.  These brownies have so much healthy junk packed in them that they are worth making.  They use honey in place of sugar, applesauce instead of oil and wheat flour instead of white.

I like them cold for some reason.  They are cakey, yet fudgy at the same time and definitely help a chocolate craving!

These brownies, though are not exactly like regular brownies, so brace yourself.  I'd say they could win an  award for closest brownie imitation.

Jillian’s MYM Healthy Brownies

Olive Oil spray for the pan
2/3 cup mild honey (I used sugar free honey)
1/3 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large egg, at room temp
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Optional pecan halves for the topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8" pan with olive oil and set aside.  I used my 9" pre-sliced pan.

Mix all the stuff in the bowl.  Usually I do dry and wet separately and all that, but I was lazy this time and just dumped it all in a bowl.  It worked out well.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until the surface looks dry around the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, about 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing into 16 squares. (Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Recipe adapted from Chemistry Cooking